We can say that the "dog days of summer" are upon us with the heat of August in full blast. However, it is interesting to note that this expression, initially, had nothing to do with dogs laying about in the heat too tired to chase a ball or rabbit. It refers to an astronomical event during Greek and Roman times when Sirius, the dog star, appeared to rise just before the
sun in late July chasing the Rabbit constellation. They referred to these days as the hottest time of
the year, a period that could bring fever, or even catastrophe.

With the movement of the skies since those days the actual "dog days" have moved to the winter months - so I suppose we could say the dog is huddled by the fireplace and has no interest in going outside. This little piece of trivia, though not trivial to the Greeks and Romans, reminds me to look above me at night to see even more of God's creation.